Not to be confused with the warship HMS Belfast.
The RMS Belfast was a ship that was in service from 1921 to 1951. It is famous for rescuing the survivors of the Sinking of SS Newhaven in 1923. It was scrapped in 1951. The Clyde Star Line owned and operated the ship. It was the sister ship of the SS Elizabeth.
History
Construction
In 1921, after the SS Elizabeth was operational, the RMS Belfast made its maiden voyage from Belfast to Cherbourg and carried a good 33 passengers.
Sinking of the SS Newhaven - Sept. 30, 1923.
The RMS Belfast was only 23 miles away from the Newhaven, so they went on full speed to reach them. Around an hour after the Newhaven sank, the Belfast arrived at the sinking site and lifted six of the lifeboats from Newhaven. Due to space issues, Lifeboats 4 and 6 could not be lifted. The RMS Harmony later lifted them when they found them drifting in the Bloxington Ocean.
Conversion to military transport ship
In 1940, the RMS Belfast was converted to HMT Belfast (Hired Military Transport Belfast) and would transport Bloxian and Rogaulian troops between Belfast and Cherbourg. The SS Elizabeth, the Belfast’s sister ship, would be converted to a hospital ship as HMHS Elizabeth (His Majesty’s Hospital Ship Elizabeth). The Elizabeth would later be torpedoed and sink in 1943. The Belfast was converted back to a passenger ship in 1945.
Scrapping
On May 12, 1951, Belfast was brought in to Cherbourg for scrapping. The scrapping process was fully completed a month later.